o All over the world, more than half a million children under eighteen are incorporated in armies in more than 85 countries. At the moment, three hundred thousand of them are fighting actively in wars (see country list) Some of them are only seven years old.
o Child soldiers are mainly recruited by rebel forces, but government armies also recruit and use minors as soldiers.
o The technological development of weapons and the huge spread of small arms have contributed to the increased use of child soldiers. At the moment, 500 million small weapons are circulating throughout the world. Light automatic machine guns are easy to use, also for children, and easily available. In some African countries, you can buy a gun for only € 6.
o Kids are an easy pray for military recruitment. Manipulating them is easy and they are too young to resist or even to understand the violence they are confronted with.
o Some of the 300,000 child soldiers have joined the army because of socio-economic circumstances. They are often orphans, refugee children or children from extremely poor or broken families. In the army, they find shelter, protection and food, or at least a gun to steal the food.
o Some children have also joined one of the warring parties to take revenge for the death of a family member.
o However, some tens of thousands of children , are recruited under duress and have been abducted by armed forces. In Sierra Leone, an estimated 20,000 children were abducted by rebels of the Revolutionary United Front. In Uganda, more than 30,000 children were abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army. In Congo, all the warring parties recruit children under duress.
o Children are the best soldiers. They are small and they are nearly invisible when they are moving through the bush. They are fast, nimble, easy to manipulate, and very obedient. They are also very brave and undaunted, because they do not fear death . But the main advantage is: they are very cheap. They do not need any payment and they eat less than adult soldiers.
o Both boys and girls are recruited as child soldiers. In countries like El Salvador, Ethiopia, and Uganda, one third of the child soldiers are girls. They are not only used as soldiers, but also as sex slaves for the commanders in countries such as Angola, Sierra Leone and Uganda.
o In the armies, child soldiers are put in for a wide range of tasks: They serve as messengers, spies, camp guards or cooks. They are used to carry arms, ammo and provisions. Many are also thrown into battle, where they are put into the front lines or have to clear mines. Some children are used for suicide squads
o Because of their immaturity, rashness and lack of experience, child soldiers get injured and killed more easily on the battlefield than adult soldiers. A lot of children have lost limbs and are disabled for the rest of their lives.
o Child soldiers, abducted by rebel groups in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Congo and Uganda witness atrocities and had to participate in extreme cruelties against the civilian population, among which decapitations, amputations, rapes. Some people were even burnt alive. In Liberia and Sierra Leone, children were given drugs to conquer their fears and hesitation.
o Sometimes children are forced to commit atrocities towards their own families, neighbours or fellow-villagers. These practices are meant to stigmatise them, to break the bonds with their roots and to keep them permanently in the army. The children are convinced that they can never go home again.
o It is impossible for many children to leave the army. When they desert or escape, revenge is taken on their families. Sometimes the entire village is massacred, as a punishment or to prevent the enemy from receiving vital information.
o Only few peace treaties acknowledge the existence of child soldiers or provide for their recovery and rehabilitation in society. After the war, many child soldiers are left abandoned, psychologically traumatized, morally corrupted and without any education or diploma. As a result, many end up in the streets, where they get involved in crime and violence or from where they can easily be recruited for a new conflict. A few NGO’s, like “Childsoldiers / Kindsoldaten” try to break through that vicious circle and attempt to give ex- childsoldiers an alternative and a future.
o Only in the year 2000, an international treaty against the use of child soldiers was introduced. In the new ‘Child Soldiers Protocol’, the minimum age for compulsory recruitment and direct participation in hostilities is 18. It is an optional protocol in the ‘Convention on the Rights of the Child’ concerning the participation of children in armed conflicts, ratified by all governments across the world except for Somalia and the United States.